The Problem
Our supporters believe that children's abilities are the same everywhere, but opportunity isn't.
Even the brightest children are held back by extreme rural poverty, early marriage, inadequate local schools, displacement due to conflict and the pressure to work.
High School completion rates for the poorest rural communities are just 3% in Zambia, 13% in India and 10% in Nepal (UNESCO UIS 2019z).
In Africa and Asia, rural children are often educated:
- in unsuitable buildings by teachers who are unqualified and poorly paid
- in schools where corporal punishment is prevalent and much of the learning is by rote
- in classrooms where students are rarely active, and the education offered bears little or no relation to the realities of the children’s lives and likely futures
- and without expectation, ambition or encouragement to pursue further education.
Children have minimal knowledge of the diversity of educational and career paths available. Almost none reach their academic potential and go on to become the leaders, role models and changemakers their communities desperately need.
To solve the world’s most challenging problems, we need more changemakers who genuinely understand them.
All our children in the Zambian Village with the full staff team.
